Abstract
The dispersionless Whitham modulation equations in 2+1 (two space dimensions and time) are reviewed and the instabilities identified. The modulation theory is then reformulated, near the Lighthill instability threshold, with a slow phase, moving frame and different scalings. The resulting nonlinear phase modulation equation near the Lighthill surfaces is a geometric form of the 2+1 two-way Boussinesq equation. This equation is universal in the same sense as Whitham theory. Moreover, it is dispersive, and it has a wide range of interesting multi-periodic, quasi-periodic and multi-pulse localized solutions. For illustration the theory is applied to a complex nonlinear 2+1 Klein-Gordon equation which has two Lighthill surfaces in the manifold of periodic travelling waves.This article is part of the theme issue 'Stability of nonlinear waves and patterns and related topics'.